Former New Orleans Mayor Nagin Indicted on Corruption Charges

Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was indicted by a federal grand jury Friday on 21 counts of bribery, conspiracy to deprive citizens of honest services, money laundering, wire fraud, and filing false tax returns according to the Times-Picayune.

Nagin, a Democrat, is accused of taking cash bribes and gifts from two city contractors and leveraging a granite installation contract from Home Depot as the retailer was negotiating tax breaks and other items with the city:

Nagin's long-expected indictment arrived more than two and a half years after he left City Hall and relocated to the Dallas area.

Two businessmen, Frank Fradella and Rodney Williams, have both pleaded guilty to paying bribes to the mayor — who was listed in earlier court documents as "Public Official A" — in exchange for the promise of city work. Both are expected to testify against Nagin if his case goes to trial.

Nagin served as mayor from 2002 to 2010. He became a national figure when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005 and caused an estimated 1,464 deaths in the city, massive flooding, and billions of dollars in damage.